Story Hubs in Brimbank

The time machine whirred… sputtered… and we were up and away into the future.

Guess what we saw?

Spaces like 100 Story Building sprouting all around Brimbank with young writers everywhere penning, drawing, reading, telling, sharing, crafting and designing stories in inspiring comfortable spaces they called their own. We saw artists facilitating their stories and schools and communities coming together to support them. We saw comics being drawn, space odysseys being undertaken, adventures being planned by children confident in their voice and place in the world.

Then we landed ‘thump’ back into the present with just one thought. How do we MAKE this future happen for children in Brimbank… sooner rather than later?

So we conceived of Story Hubs: imaginative spaces for children and young people, co-created by 100 Story Building and community partners in neighbourhood spaces otherwise unused, providing targeted programs promoting the creativity, literacy skills and sense of belonging of children in the marginalised communities of Brimbank!

Thanks to funding from Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, we carried out a feasibility study on delivering Story Hubs in the City of Brimbank. We spoke to 153 children, young people, family members and staff representing 13 schools, council and not-for-profit organisations covering youth, health and education services. Now, we are looking to make Story Hubs a reality.